Past Exhibit › Wearable Expressions

A group exhibition of wearable art, accessories, and technology apparel exploring fashion as a means for individuals to dynamically express themselves.

Archived on May 30th 2009.

In this exhibition of wearable art, accessories, and technology apparel, we explore fashion as a means for individuals to dynamically express themselves. From Lynda Meyer’s collection of 19th century hoops and bustles to Alexander Reeder’s “Butterfly Dress” which engages those close without words by displaying the heartbeat of the wearer, “Wearable Expressions” is both historical and contemporary in its scope and examines the impact of material and technology in wearable design.

Curated by Marianne R. Petit & Matthew Belanger.

Click a thumbnail to enlarge photos of art works.

Exhibit Dates & Times:

April 17th 2009 – May 30th 2009

Admission is free and open to the public.
Open Saturdays 1 – 4 p.m. and by appointment.
Appointments can be made by phone or email.

Opening Reception:

Friday April 17th 2009, 5:30 – 8:30 p.m.

Click a thumbnail to enlarge photos of the opening reception.

Location:

93 Summer Street, Adams, MA 01220

Storefront Artist Salon:

The May Artist Salon, produced by Greylock Arts and The Storefront Artist Project will be held at Greylock Arts Saturday May 23rd 2009, 6 – 8 p.m.

The salon will feature a live performance by Andrew Schneider and his Experimental Devices for Performance. These wearable and handheld devices are used for media interaction in experimental performance. Being performer oriented, the devices make the connection between media and performer inseparable. The performer affects the media through the devices and the devices affect the performer. Together, they become the performance.

Read More About The Storefront Artist Salon

In The Storefront:

The Butterfly Dress by Alexander Reeder
The Butterfly Dress is an exploration of fashion, interactivity and sociality. The dress is aware of her wearers heartbeat, expressing it in the flapping of the butterflies on the dress. What if your clothes could function as an ice-breaker and literally invite a conversation? The Butterfly Dress is just that, a beautiful dress which catches attention, but also serves as your personal ambassador, even while you are preoccupied.

The Muttering Hat and More — Works by Kate Hartman
Using the body and the space surrounding it as a canvas, Kate Hartman creates work that investigates the ways in which we relate to ourselves and others. Her pieces include hats that liberate the voices in your head, a jacket that maps your personal space, and t-shirts that display your state of vulnerability. Through wearable computing systems and conceptual devices, she provides a physical presence and often literal representation for the awkward and unseen aspects of our social relations.

In The Gallery:

The Aphrodite Project: Platforms by Norene Leddy, Andrew Milmoe, Ed Bringas, Melissa Gira
The link between sex work and technology extends back to ancient Greece, where all prostitution fell under the domain of Aphrodite, and the pornai (streetwalkers) walked the dusty streets of Athens. In an early hack, they put tacks on the bottoms of their sandals to leave footprints with ‘follow me’ written in the earth. This inspired Platforms, the latest series of work in the ongoing Aphrodite Project: contemporary sandals with built in safety, video and GPS technologies that link the wearer to emergency services and online networks. Functionality in these updated sandals is based on extensive social research and interviews with sex workers and their allies. Platforms draws on innovations made by venerated courtesans from antiquity to improve conditions of 21st century women who, despite advances in culture and technology, are now perceived to be outlaws by trade and are vulnerable to surveillance and violence. Platforms empowers people by providing tools they need to stay safe.

Antique Clothing Installation by Lynda Meyer of Lynda’s Antique Clothing
Late 19th century, post Civil War, was the beginning of the modern “modern” era.  The dynamic expanse of technology and new methods of merchandizing created fashion that was both  arrogant and elegant. The style of sloping shoulders, and round skirts, a look that dominated woman’s fashion for more than forty years, gave way to squared bodices and trained back skirts. Yards and yards of  fantastic draperies worn with Junoesque demeanor, became the mode. The underpinnings that created this silhouette were feats of persion engineering and imagination.  The bustle, that is so unfathomable to us now, held so much fascination and sexual appeal in its time. The derriere was the unabashed focal point of a woman’s form, surmounted by the tinniest waist line, created a look that was reality and fantasy combined.  In any forum examining dynamics of fashion this wonderful powerful time must be included.

Hand-Sewn Leather Works by Martin Zalud and Alicia Zaludova
Žalud is the independent leather accessories collaboration of professional saddler Martin Zalud and designer Alicia Zaludova. Their work is the unlikely juxtaposition of an ancient craft and an unconventional design aesthetic. Applying his mastery of traditional European saddlery, for which he trained and apprenticed for four years in his native Prague, Martin individually hand-sews each piece without the use of a machine, in accord with centuries-old techniques. Their handbags, belts, and other personal accessories are a rare combination of old-world quality and mold-shattering design, an unusual pairing in our age of mass production.

Hawaiian Guitar Instruction Manual T-Shirts by Rich Remsberg
These t-shirt designs are based on graphics from 1920s Hawaiian guitar instruction manuals. The Hawaiian guitar craze started on the mainland in 1915 and lasted into the 1950s. By the ’20s, there was a booming industry of Hawaiian guitar mail-order instruction schools. In addition to actual instrumental technique and repertoire, the industry pushed the idea that the practice fostered admirable personality traits, such as responsibility, punctuality, and thrift. There was also the implicit promise of financial reward and social popularity if you played the Hawaiian guitar.

Some of that remains true today: if you buy these shirts, I will experience financial reward, and you will enjoy social popularity.

Touched By Strangers by Alexander Reeder and
Yutaka Kitamura
Two people in white jumpsuits with hand silhouettes touch each other. As they pass through the audience you too are curious and touch the silhouettes. As you do, you become part of the piece while sounds and flowers bloom around you.

Press:

Berkshire Living May 2009: Dress To Express
The North Adams Transcript 04/24/09: The Clothes Make The Person
The North Adams Transcript 04/15/09: Show To Feature Wearable Art